Molded pulp carton



April 1961 w. H. RANDALL. ETAL 2,979,245

MOLDED PULP CARTON INVENTORS Walter H Randall 6r UrbanHDcspr'es BY M gig;

/gflwig ATTORNEYS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 w x2 H. W%

Filed Sept. 25, 1957 April 11, 19 w. H. RANDALL ETAL 2,979,245

MOLDED PULP CARTON Filed Sept. 25, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Walter H Randall, 65 Urbaniipespres ATTORNEYS April 11, 1961 w. H. RANDALL ETAL 2,979,245

MOLDED PULP CARTON Filed Sept. 25, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR WaZtcrlz. Ran dull -a mil generally desi nat'e r'a, bf ures'tahdaraam pocket .ar-

United Sta e Patent MOLDED PULP CARTON Walter Hall Randall, Waterville, and Urban H. Despres, Clinton, Maine, assignors to Keyes Fibre Company, Portland, Maine, a corporation of Maine Filed Sept. 25, 1957, SerQNo. 686,172 11 Claims. (11. 229-2.s

This invention relates to cartons, and it particularly relates to cartons of the molded pulp type which have a pocketed section for holding the articles to be packed, such as eggs, to which is hingedly connected an unpocketed cover section which overfolds onto the pocketed section.

Cartons of the above general type have been on the market for many years and are gaining increasing commercial importance; however, their acceptance hasbeen somewhat retarded until now by various deficiencies such as a failure to provide for an adequate cushioning of the eggs or other articles between the overfolded sections and a failure to provide a. strong 'and eflicient locking means which is yet simple in construction and easy to use.

It is one object of the present invention to overcome the above as well as other deficiencies of the prior art type of cartons by providing a molded pulp carton which prevents a squeezing of the eggs or other packed articles between the two sections of the carton and by providing a locking means which is both efiicient and simple as well as easy to use. v V

Another object of the present invention is to provide a carton of the above type which has increased strength and which is capable of firmly holding eggs or other such articles of various sizes.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by referencet o the following detailed description wh n considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. lisa top plan view of a carton embodying the present invention, the carton being shown in flat,open condition; p

Fig. 2 is a sectional, view taken Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the pocketed section of the device as taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 1; n v V Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the device in closed and locked position;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, detailed sectional view of the pocketed section .of a carton such as shown in Figs.

but modified to use an alternate form of locking means; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of the flap and buttons used with the carton of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view showing the alternative form of locking means, in locking position with the carton closed;

Fig. 8 is atop plan view, similar to Fighl, 'of a modified form of carton embodying the present invention;

on line2-2 of Fig. 1;'

' Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-.Q of Fig. 8; i

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of thefa'rton-of :8, with thecarton' cld'sedjarid'thelloek means engaged; and Fig. 11. isia side yiew, partly in elevation and partly in section, taken cm-1int 11- 11orFig.8.

. Referring now ingreaterdetail: to the'agq'res' oft lie".

drawings wherein similar [reference characters refer to -pa'rts,fthere is illustrated in Figs. 1I-3'a jcarton 2,979,245 Patented Apr. 1 1 1961 rangement comprising a pocketed section 10 and a cover section 12. The section 10 comprises alternate rows of octagonal pockets 14 which are separated from each other in perpendicular directions by low ribs 16. Between each row of pockets is provid d a row of hollow substantially frusto-conical posts 18, the posts being ofiset from the plane of the pockets so that the pockets are separated from each other by these posts in the diagonal plane, as best shown in Fig. l.

The ribs 16 have inclined'side walls 20 which taper outwardly as they ascend and which ascend only partly up toward the upper portions of the posts 18. They integrally connect with the adjacent posts well below the tops of the posts so that they form interruptions in the lower portions of the posts. The segments of the posts between these interruptions are designated 22. By this construction, in the center portion of the pocketed section, the side walls 20'of the ribs coact with the segments 22 of the posts to form the octagonal side wall structure of each pocket. I

At the periphery of the section 10, the side Walls of the pockets 14 are partly formed by the inclined walls 29 of the ribs 16 and the segments 22 of the posts as in the center, but the remainder of the pockets are formed by segments of half-posts such as shown at 24, 25 and 26, inclined walls 28 between the half-posts, and, in the corners, by partial corner posts 30. The half-posts 26 at the freeedge of the carton and walls 28 extend to planes above the. tops of the ribs 16, these planes being illustrated as substantially common with each other and with the junction linefto be hereinafter described, but below the top plane of the posts 18. The half-posts 24 and 25-and the corner posts 30, however, extend up to a plane common with the top plane of the posts 18.

At the bottom of each pocket.14-is a small hollow tion 38 being at a somewhat steeper angle of incline than the lower portion 36.; The two portions'are connected at a junction line 40 which is situated in. the above-described plane substantially common with the tops of halfposts 26 andwalls 28; this plane being higher than the tops of the ribs 16 and lower than the tops of the posts By the above construction, eggs of various sizes, as indicated in Fig. 3, may be resiliently but firmly supported in each pocket. Smaller eggs will enter fullyinto the pocket and be supported both by the knob 32 and by the: lower wall portions surrounding the knob, as indicated I at 34. Larger eggs may or may not penetrate .down to the bottom of the pocket but will in any event, receive the major portion of theirsupport from'the upper wall portion 38 and willbe resiliently supported at-'approxi- H mately the junction line 40, as illustrated in'the left hand pocket in Fig. 3. Y I

' It should be notedthat'the octagonal side walls oteach;

pocket are's' o constructed that the convexly-cur'ved [segments 22 0f the posts lSand 'the' similarlyl convexlycurved segments-of the 'half-posts-andcorner'posts bulge V laterally toward the centeri-of the 'respectivei pocket; 7 beyond the wall areas formed by the flat, inclined rib'f,

walls 203 or side walls ZS In tlfism'anner, the eggsare actually s'upported onlybyzfthes'e cdnvexly-curved sid """wall'areaa', This isii'nportant because theshort, ilatcon l structionof the ribsl'fiand' side ill/3115128 give themati t propertyfi This inherently rigid rather than resili p rig dity s v s he m a f an "asld sit i e "-strengtlifto the carton to its other p'ortions, such i as the above-mentioned convexly-curved segments of the posts, half-posts, and corner posts, to be made resilient enough to cushion the eggs. Without such strengthening ribs, the carton would tend to collapse completely under the weight of the eggs. It is for this reason that the junction line 40 is provided above the'plane of the ribs 16 since, in this manner, the ribs, while adding strength to the carton, do not interfere with the resiliency of the support offered at the area of the junction line 40.

On the periphery of the section 10, extending upwardly in an outwardly inclined direction from the plane of the junction line 40 which is substantially common with the tops of the posts 26 and walls 28, is a peripheral wall 42. This wall 42 is inclined at the same angle as the upper portions 38 of the posts 18, as well as of the upper portions of half-posts 24 and 25 and corner posts while the half-posts 26 and walls 28 are inclined at a less steep angle corresponding to the lower portions 36 of the posts 18. In this manner, the junction line 40 is extended to the sides of the carton. t

A peripheral rim 44 extends outwardly from the edge of the section 10 as defined by the upper edge of the peripheral wall 42. The portion of the rim 44 which is adjacent the section 12 is integrally connected by a hinge connection 46 to a similar rim 48 on the edge of the traylike cover section 12.

In order to releasably lock the two sections of the carton in closed position, a locking arrangement is provided which includes a pair of semi-circular holes 50. These holes are formed in the tops of the two end-most half-posts 26 on the free edge of the section 10 opposite the hinged edge. The locking arrangement also includes a flap 52 having locking buttons 54, each of which has an inclined underside 55 which acts as a camming surface against the inner face of peripheral wall 42 as the buttons are inserted in the appropriate holes 50. The flap is positioned on that edge of the cover section 12 which is opposite the hinged edge of the cover, and the flap is, itself, hinged to the corresponding edge of the cover section by a hinge arrangement which forms an out- Wardly-extending square head 56 (best shown in Fig. 4). The buttons 54 are provided adjacent each end of the flap and are positioned outwardly of the flaps outer edge, as best shown in Fig. 1.

When locking the carton, the flap 52 is brought down inside the wall 42 'of the lower section 10 and the buttons 54snap through the corresponding holes 50. In this position (as best shown in Fig. 4), the buttons, due to the resilient nature of the molded pulp flap construction, resiliently engage against the edges of the carton defining the holes. At the same time, the square bead 56 abuts against rim '44 of the lower section 10 to provide a limit stop on the downward movement of the cover section. Any tendency of the cover section to slip out and down over the bottom or pocketed section is resisted by the,

internally-locked flap 52. This is an important advantage since any such overlapping of the cover section would materially reduce the protection of the eggs which is obtained by the full and uniform contact of the edge of the peripheral wall of the cover with the edge of the peripheral wall of the pocketed section. It is, therefore, important that the edge-to-edge contact between rim 48, with its head 56, and rim 44 be maintained.

A highly important advantage of the provision of the flap 52 on the cover section 12'is the fact'that when the flap is inserted Within the outer wall of the pocketed section, withthe button in the slot .50, the walls of the pocketedsectionandthe cover section, are locked in supporting relationship without the ,necessity'of having the eggs contribute to the lateral positioningof the flap.-

This means that telescoping ;of theycarton. sections is prevented even thoughthe eggs are-removed. Further more, the pockets behindthe interlocked flap help to maintainits rigidity;

- 4 side walls of the pocketed section to be free of any holes or openings to receive the locking buttons, thereby main taining the strength of these side walls in a manner not possible where such openings are provided.

A modified form of locking arrangement is provided, such as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. As shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, a carton, similar in substantially every way to the carton of Figs. 1-4, and having a pocketed section and a cover section 72, is provided with a locking means wherein the flap 74 is provided with buttons 76, and rear edges 78 of which are positioned slightly to the rear of the plane of the outer edge of the flap. Such construction, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 7, requires the openings 80 in the tops of the half-posts 82 to be extended around into the lower portion of the peripheral side wall 84, such side wall openings being indicated at 86. However, the buttons 76 are positioned only so far to the rear of the outer edge of the flap as is necessary to avoid a line of weakness. This rearward positioning being held to a minimum, requires only a minimum extension of the openings into the side wall of the carton.

In Figs. 8-11 there is shown a modified form of carton, this carton being of the standard 2 x 6 pocket arrangement and designated B. In this carton, instead of having three pockets in each row, there are only two pockets, while the length of the carton is extended. In general, except for its narrower, elongated shape, this carton is substantially similar to that of Fig. 1.

The locking arrangement illustrated is similar to that of Figs. 5, 6 and 7 in that pocketed section 90, which is integrally hinged to tray-like cover section 92, is provided with openings 94' in two of its half-posts 95 at the free edge thereof, the openings94 having vertical extensions- 96 in theadjacent areas of the peripheral side wall. The tops of the half-posts 95 are positioned at the junction line 97 similarly to half-posts 26. Half-posts 98 at the rear edge extend up to the level of the tops of the posts 100; while half-posts 99 are slightly lower to provide ventilating notches, as best shown in Fig. 11. The buttons 101 on the flap 102 are spaced to coincide with the openings 94 and extend to the rear of the outer edge of the flap. This locking arrangement, although illustrated, may, if desired, be substituted by the locking arstrengthening ribs 103 serve to rigidity the. side walls of the cover section. At the same time, the ribs 103 adjacent the hingeabut against the tops ofhalf-posts 98 in thepocketed section when the carton is closed. This endt -end abutment increases the strength and rigidity of the hinge and h'elpsto prevent lateral spread of the cover section under pressure.

"If desired, the abpve-described cartonB may be constructed without the vertical ribs 103'while the carton A may be provided with such ribs depending on the required characteristics of the particularcarton. The carton A may, also, if desired, be provided with ventilating notches similar to those provided at the top of half-posts 99 in Fig. 11.

"Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

.What is claimed is: j A

;1. A molded pulp carton comprising. apocketed section and a tray-like cover section, said sections each hav- -'ing an upwardly and outwardly inclined peripheral wall defined at its uppe r edge by. an outwardly-extending rim, said sectionsfjbeing, integrally anfd hingedlylconnected at V "adjacent portionsof thir:i;rims, saidj poeketed section The abovieflescribedlocking arrangementpermits the, having a plurality 0f. parallel rows of ipockets separated by alternate parallel rows of hollow posts, the posts in each row being connected by ribs, half-posts positioned at each end of each row of posts and connected to the adjacent posts by said ribs, at least one of said half-posts on the side of said pocketed section opposite to its hinged connection with said cover section being substantially lower in height than the height of its adjacent peripheral rim, an opening in the top of said at least one-half post, a hinged flap on that edge of said cover section which is opposite its hinged connection with said pocketed section, and at least one button on said flap to correspond to the opening in the half-post, said flap being insertable within the confines of the peripheral wall of said pocketed section with the button locked beneath said opening when said cover section hingedly overlies said pocketed section.

2. The carton of claim 1 wherein said button extends outwardly of the outer edge of said flap and wherein said opening is positioned solely in the half-post.

3. The carton of claim 1 wherein said button extends inwardly of the outer edge of said flap and wherein said opening has an extension in the adjacent portion of the peripheral wall of said pocketed section.

4. The carton of claim 1 wherein the flap is elongated and is provided with a plurality of buttons, and wherein an opening is provided in a plurality of half-posts corresponding in number and position to said buttons and each being of substantially lower height than the height of their adjacent peripheral rim.

5. The carton of claim 1 wherein said flap is connected to the peripheral rim of said cover section by a hinge forming a bead of generally square cross-section.

6. The carton of claim 1 wherein each pocket comprises an upper and lower inclined side wall area, the upper side wall area being inclined at a smaller angle to the center line of the pocket than the lower side wall area.

7. A molded pulp carton comprising a pocketed section and a tray-like cover section, each section having an upwardly and outwardly inclined peripheral wall defined at its upper edge by an outwardly-extending peripheral rim, said sections being integrally connected by a hinge between adjacent portions of their respective peripheral rims, said pocketed section having a plurality of rows of pockets alternating with parallel rows of generally frusto-conical, hollow posts, said posts extending up to a plane substantially common with the plane of the upper edge of said peripheral wall and being offset relative to said pockets, a plurality of ribs having upwardly and outwardly extending flat side walls extending radially from each of said posts and connecting said posts to the posts adjacent thereto, said ribs being positioned to separate each of said pockets from the pockets adjacent thereto, said ribs extending up to a plane lower than the upper plane of said posts and coasting with the lower portions of said posts to at least partially define the side wall areas of said pockets, a half-post at each end of each row of posts, the upper ends of said half-posts adjacent said hinge being in a plane substantially common with the upper ends of said posts and theupper ends of the half-posts at the opposite edge being substantially lower than said posts and said peripheral wall, a top opening in at least one of said half-posts at said opposite edge, a hinged flap on that edge of the peripheral rim of angle to the center line of the corresponding post than the lower side wall area to form a junction line in a plane substantially common to all the posts, and said halfposts at the opposite edge having their upper ends posi tioned in substantially the same plane as said junction line.

9. The carton of claim 8 wherein said junction line is positioned intermediate the top plane of said ribs and the top plane of said posts.

10. The carton of claim 7 wherein said cover section is provided with at least one vertical rib extending inwardly from each of two opposite sides of its peripheral wall, said ribs having abutment ends substantially in the plane of the adjacent peripheral rim.

1-1. The carton of claim 7 wherein said pockets and posts are also arranged in parallel columns, and wherein a half-post is provided at each end of the columns of posts, said last-mentioned half-posts together with the adjacent portion of the peripheral wall being lower than said posts to provide venting notches.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS France Oct. 28, 1953 I 

